'Laird of the Yard' gets bail

A SCOTLAND YARD accountant was remanded on pounds 50,000 bail when he appeared in court yesterday charged with stealing more than pounds 30,000 from the Metropolitan Police.

Anthony Williams, 54, of New Malden, Surrey, who is also known as Lord Williams of Tomintoul - a title which came with his Highland estate - was charged with two counts of theft when he appeared before Bow Street magistrates in central London.

The first charge alleges that he stole pounds 20,788.37 from the Metropolitan Police between December 20 and December 21 last year, and the second that he stole pounds 10,898.13 between March 15 and March 17 this year.

Mr Williams, a former assistant director of finance with the force, who worked for its fraud squad and in other sensitive areas, appeared in court wearing a navy blazer, grey check slacks and a spotted tie.

He had been in custody at a London police station since being charged on Friday night after enduring a two-day media siege of his home.

He was remanded until October 14. Bail was allowed on condition that he surrendered his passport and lived at an address which was not given in open court.

Reporting restrictions were not lifted for the hearing.

Williams was taken to Brixton Prison, and later left for an unknown address after confirmation of his bail money.

Williams was driven away from court in a police custody van with two escorting police vehicles.